Blizzard Q&A

Originally announced in 1999 for a 2000 release, Warcraft III was years in the making. When Blizzard put the finishing touches on the game in June and sent it off for distribution, the team quite understandably took a vacation. They're back, and they're at work on a 1.02 patch. We caught up with Blizzard's Bill Roper to get his perspective on Warcraft III's development and release, as well as what's coming up now that Blizzard is rested and ready for more.

GameSpot: Looking back at the development process, what design decisions do you think worked out particularly well?

Bill Roper: I think the biggest goal we had was to integrate an RPG feel into an RTS, and in that regard, we exceeded even our own expectations. The story and, most importantly, the way it was presented in Warcraft III were engaging and unique for a strategy game. The world had a natural feel to it--with rolling landscapes, monsters that populate the land, NPC vendors, and mystical places of interest--as opposed to simply being a flat game board. The character and depth of the hero units really make them stand out as both powerful game pieces and involving elements of the storyline. We wanted players to make an emotional connection with the heroes and really have an investment in them that went beyond how much gold and lumber they required.

GS: Which design decisions didn't work out so well? Are there particular decisions you might've made differently, knowing what you know now?

BR: There were hundreds of little things that we had to twist and tweak and iterate on, but there was really nothing so untenable that we couldn't work past it. The single biggest change we made was when we moved the camera angle to basically a fixed isometric view and removed the requirement that units be attached to a hero.

GS: What did Blizzard do to ensure a smooth launch of Battle.net support for Warcraft III? Are there any plans for new additions and improvements to Battle.net in the future? For instance, are there any plans to release additional maps, like Blizzard did with Starcraft, or are there plans to host other user-made content on the official site?

BR: We definitely learned from the unprecedented success of Diablo II and the ensuing issues that came with that success. We increased the number of servers and available bandwidth at the time of launch to easily handle the number of potential players, and then we added some more. We have an intimate familiarity with the requirements to run the matchmaking and record-keeping systems used by Warcraft III, so we were better able to prepare for it from both a hardware and software point of view.

In regard to the future of Battle.net, we have many ideas on how to make it an even better destination for Blizzard gamers through added functionality and content. We are looking at possibly creating a map release program as we did for Starcraft, as well as anxiously looking forward to seeing what people in the community do with the very powerful level editor that shipped with the game.

GS: Have parts of the Warcraft III team already moved on to focus on other projects? How many people are still focused on continually improving and rebalancing Warcraft III for multiplayer?

BR: The team is honestly just getting back from a hard-earned vacation. Many of the artists have shifted their focus toward helping out on World of Warcraft while our designers and programmers look at what needs to go into another patch.

GS: Now for a personal question or two. Since many of us have had a chance to play through the campaign, we'd like to ask: What's your personal favorite mission or moment in the story?

BR: My favorite mission is The Culling, because it is really the first mission with an extremely different feel and requirement for success. It is a major turning point in the story of Arthas, as well as a fun and challenging mission that's unlike the usual RTS fare.

My favorite moment in the story is when Arthas "explains" to his father that things have changed in Lordaeron. The first time I completed the human campaign, I had to watch the cinematic about four times just so I could hear that, "Succeeding you..." line. I still get chills thinking about the type of character development going on in this game.

GS: Out of all Blizzard's games, is there one that you're particularly proud of?

BR: I have had the privilege of having had some level of involvement on all our PC titles, and it is impossible for me to choose one that gives me more of a sense of pride than the other. Starcraft is immensely popular (especially in Korea) and could be thought of as our first truly international success in that we gained a whole new spectrum of players in the Asian marketplace. The Diablo franchise is still the king in terms of overall sales, and it really broke ground in the hearts of the elusive "mass market" while still being well loved by "core" gamers. The Warcraft series helped launch Blizzard as a company that people know and trust, so it may be our most successful series in that it is what we built our reputation as developers on. I am so honored to have played a part on each of these games, so I really cannot choose just one!

GS: What Warcraft III race have you played the most? Do you have a personal favorite?

BR: They're big, mean, and extremely green--it's the orcish horde for me. I have a certain bias since I have been supplying the voice for some of them ever since Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, but they have a great sense of style and humor that really appeals to me. The original intent when designing the character package for the orcs was to take a fantasy race that had commonly been stereotyped as mindless, soulless fodder and give them culture and direction. That has always appealed to me.

GS: We saw Warcraft III's gameplay change considerably over the course of the beta. Now that the game has finally been released, when do you expect the first balance patch to be out, and what will be in it? What other kinds of changes and additions are planned further down the line?

BR: As always, we look to the community to help us uncover the biggest balance issues, and we are always watching them play and listening to their feedback. We are currently working on patch 1.02, and many of the potential balance changes will be based on the issues raised by our players. In regard to future changes and additions, we have a lot of ideas and also get some great suggestions on our forums, so we will have to really look at everything that is on the table and discuss what we could do.

GS: We have to ask. How long will it take for Blizzard's plans for a Warcraft III expansion pack to come together? What kinds of new additions could we expect to see in the next Warcraft game? Maybe making the burning legion race playable, for instance?

BR: We really look to the community to tell us what they want out of an expansion set--or even if they want an expansion set. With Starcraft, for example, our original ideas for a potential expansion were far from what we ended up creating, and much of what we did add was based on the interests and desires of the players. We are fortunate to have a vocal gaming community that has the best interests of the game at heart. They love to tell us what they like and what they do not like, and we do take those comments into account when discussing everything from a patch to an expansion set.

GS: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add? Any final thoughts on Warcraft III, Blizzard's future, or other topics?

BR: We have received so many compliments on the immersive nature of Warcraft III that we all want to take a moment to thank those people who played the game with an open mind and were ready to have a different experience. Warcraft III is not the typical RTS in many regards, and we are pleased to know that it has stuck a chord with so many gamers.

In looking to the future, we hope that those of you who were compelled and engaged by the storyline will give World of Warcraft a spin as well. For the first time, we will be pulling players into the lands of Azeroth, where they can delve the depths or soar to new heights, seeing aspects of a mythos that we started eight years ago in a whole new way. We are incredibly excited about making a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that is accessible, appealing, and fun for players whether they have 30 minutes or 30 hours to spend in a single gaming session. This is easily the most ambitious project to date, and we cannot wait to start bringing players into the world of Warcraft.

GS: Thanks for your time, Bill.